Golden Gate Fire District introduces the CWPP
John Scarffe
Golden Gate Canyon
The Golden Gate Fire Protection District met with the public online only to introduce the CWPP process on December 9, 2024, at 6 p.m. Fire Chief Kyle Benson said he...
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GOLDEN GATE CANYON - The Golden Gate Fire Protection District met with the public in an online-only meeting to introduce the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) process on December 9, 2024. Fire Chief Kyle Benson said he has been working on the CWPP with Ember Alliance since October.
This is the first of three meetings. Benson introduced Evan Briscoe, project manager for Ember Alliance, who introduced Ember team member Jon Henry, saying that they have a large team behind them.
Ember Alliance is a national nonprofit based in Ft. Collins. Their fire management team plans for wildfires and assists local entities on how to write CWPPs.
The Golden Gate 2025 CWPP will be one of five for fire protection districts in Jefferson County, Briscoe said. Fire protection districts are tailored to community needs, so Ember will be engaging partners and the Golden Gate community in the process. It builds on previous CWPPs; the most recent one was done in 2011.
What is a CWPP? It is a process to identify wildfire risk, and it includes planned action items relevant for the next five years, Briscoe said. It should be updated every five years.
It is not legally binding: if the community cannot achieve it, that is acceptable. “We come up with a plan, receive funding, engage partners and get your feedback,” Briscoe said.
The CWPP is not just a document, Briscoe noted. “It is important and includes when and how we can address wildfire threats. A risk analysis will focus on community. This helps to find relative risks.”
It includes community values and data analysis. “We want to engage with you, the community, and make sure it applies to the community,” Briscoe added. It identifies priority projects and is scientifically backed, he said.
Briscoe cited three success stories. Red Feather Lakes created community groups that were excited to start mitigation work, so they came together to begin. They created a firewood program and sold Christmas trees.
Coal Creek Canyon created a neighborhood ambassador program and thinned some parts of the canyon. Elk Creek and Inter-Canyon FPDs engaged neighbors and the community to be informed about where they can participate.
The Golden Gate plan will be specific and create prioritized maps, identification of those properties most at risk, treatments, and implementation plans. Ember staff want to understand local history, fire behavior models, and fuel-based assessments, Briscoe related.
The group will develop an action plan with roles and responsibilities. The final document will bring the partners and the community’s own expertise to the table, Briscoe said.
Briscoe noted that they started in October to November, gathering data and local context. In December through February, they will perform wildfire and hazard modeling.
In March to April, they will plan wildfire risk assessments, and May to July will feature action planning. August to October will be the time for final document generation. Maps will be generated to assess risks and valuable infrastructure, and Ember will share maps and implementation before the final community meetings.
They will have an in-person meeting in April, midway through the process. Details will be revealed later.
Briscoe said they will reach out and look at concerns including personal knowledge and barriers to action. He said there will be more discussion in April.
Jon Henry said he has six years of experience with wildfire mitigation. Together, they will create a CWPP that will benefit the community.
After questions, Chief Benson ended the meeting, saying the District will reach out with CWPP updates at Board meetings and on the website to keep everyone up to date on progress.
For more information, go to https://MAIN-GoldenGateFireProtectionDistrict.